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We pit the HTC Flyer up against the Android 3.1-powered Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1
HTC is no stranger to acclaim. Its smartphones are widely regarded as industry leading specimens and innovation and design excellence have become synonymous with the Taiwanese manufacturer.
But up until recently it was a stranger to the tablet market, and we've decided to put the company's premier tab, the Flyer, through its paces by placing it up against a device that has enjoyed a very positive reception: the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1.
Let's see how it got on.
Display
Samsung's Galaxy Tab 10.1 features, unsurprisingly, a 10.1-inch TFT display that operates at a resolution of 800 x 1280 and the screen is just about as impressive as you'd expect from Samsung. It may not rival the company's Super AMOLED products but you'll be hard pushed to find anything to dislike about the Galaxy Tab 10.1's display. It's big, responsive and is great for watching HD content or web browsing.
The Flyer however, only offers a 7-inch screen, operating at a resolution of 600 x 1024, which HTC claim will make the device altogether more mobile than its competitors. Performance-wise the display's solid enough, colours look vivid and blacks deep, but the lack of space does prove to be a hindrance at times and the small-size sometimes gives you the feeling that you might be better off with a large screened smartphone, which you can slip into a pocket. We have no major complaints though.
Winner - Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1
Power
The HTC Flyer may feature a small screen but it doesn't lack in the engine room and the single-core 1.5GHz CPU is a beast, it chomps through tasks super speedily and the 1GB of installed RAM help matters along nicely.
Samsung opted to go down the dual-core route with the Galaxy Tab 10.1, packing a 1GHz chip into the device, which takes care of multi-tasking without skipping a beat. The Galaxy Tab 10.1 also offers 1GB RAM too, making it a fast, well provisioned machine indeed.
While the Samsung weighs-in heavier with the dual-core, we're pretty fond of the higher clocked chip of the Flyer too, and let's not forget, Android isn't 100% ready for dual-core just yet, so we're happy to call this one a draw..for now.
Winner - Draw
Optics
Samsung's Galaxy Tab 10.1 features a 3.15-megapixel primary snapper which performs adequately, with an LED flash and auto-focus included to make your life easier and while it won't set the world alight it should be ample for casual use. The device does capture video at 720p though, which should allow all you amateur film makers to exercise your creative muscle! The Galaxy Tab 10.1 also packs a secondary 2-megapixel camera for video-calling.
HTC's Flyer comes with an altogether more impressive 5-megapixel shooter which also features autofocus but, brace yourself, no flash! So you're golden if you're outside or in good lighting but step inside after dark or on one of the UK's infamous grey days and you might just be done for!
Video capture functionality on the Flyer is the almost-standard 720p and the device also boasts a secondary 1.3-megapixel camera.
Winner - Draw
Form
Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 - 256.6 x 172.9 x 8.6 mm, 595 g
HTC Flyer - 195.4 x 122 x 13.2 mm, 420 g
HTC's plan to make the Flyer a super-portable tablet works. The device is small, light and comfortable to use but while you'll be stoked it isn't weighing you down while you're carrying it, you might not be as impressed when you crack it out to use. Sure, it feels balanced in the hand and is made of high-quality materials, but it just seems to exude a 'smartphone with gigantism' vibe. On the positive side it might make you feel like a kid again.
The Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 is a well constructed, nicely designed device which looks good, performs well and is eye-catching enough to stand next to the likes of the iPad 2 without blushing. It is a little on the heavy side for a tablet though but in the aesthetics category we give it an enthusiastic A+.
Winner - Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1
Software
Both the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 and the HTC Flyer run on Google's all-conquering Android platform and as such offer the user the ability to customise with widgets, download from the huge app catalogue that is the Android Market and browse with full flash support!
Tablet-only support is a little thin on the ground for Android at the moment though, so don't expect to enjoy the same sort of tablet-only support you'd get on Apple's gadget.
The notable difference between these two devices is the version of Android that they run. Strangely, HTC opted to install version 2.4 of Android on the Flyer, rather than the tablet-specific 3.0, which the Galaxy Tab 10.1 enjoys and as such certain nice features, like the new system and overhauled apps aren't present on the device. It does feature HTC's neat Sense UI but for once that isn't enough of a sweetener to clinch the deal, which means we're putting our tick firmly next to the Galaxy Tab 10.1 box in this round.
Winner - Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1
So it's a pretty decisive victory for the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1! The device builds nicely on the foundation laid by its predecessor the Galaxy Tab, making it a great device for Android enthusiast and newbie alike. Build quality is second to none and the feature list is jam packed too!
The HTC Flyer is something of a damp squib though and while we can't help but admire its good looks and pedigree it generally doesn't fit in with the smartphone market, or the tablet, a fact cemented by the baffling decision to run the device on a smartphone platform rather than tablet software.
If you're looking for a more portable tablet it will serve a purpose but other than that we can't think of a single reason why you'd want to choose the Flyer over one of its big-screened peers.
We pit the HTC Flyer up against the Android 3.1-powered Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1
HTC is no stranger to acclaim. Its smartphones are widely regarded as industry leading specimens and innovation and design excellence have become synonymous with the Taiwanese manufacturer.
But up until recently it was a stranger to the tablet market, and we've decided to put the company's premier tab, the Flyer, through its paces by placing it up against a device that has enjoyed a very positive reception: the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1.
Let's see how it got on.
Display
Samsung's Galaxy Tab 10.1 features, unsurprisingly, a 10.1-inch TFT display that operates at a resolution of 800 x 1280 and the screen is just about as impressive as you'd expect from Samsung. It may not rival the company's Super AMOLED products but you'll be hard pushed to find anything to dislike about the Galaxy Tab 10.1's display. It's big, responsive and is great for watching HD content or web browsing.
The Flyer however, only offers a 7-inch screen, operating at a resolution of 600 x 1024, which HTC claim will make the device altogether more mobile than its competitors. Performance-wise the display's solid enough, colours look vivid and blacks deep, but the lack of space does prove to be a hindrance at times and the small-size sometimes gives you the feeling that you might be better off with a large screened smartphone, which you can slip into a pocket. We have no major complaints though.
Winner - Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1
Power
The HTC Flyer may feature a small screen but it doesn't lack in the engine room and the single-core 1.5GHz CPU is a beast, it chomps through tasks super speedily and the 1GB of installed RAM help matters along nicely.
Samsung opted to go down the dual-core route with the Galaxy Tab 10.1, packing a 1GHz chip into the device, which takes care of multi-tasking without skipping a beat. The Galaxy Tab 10.1 also offers 1GB RAM too, making it a fast, well provisioned machine indeed.
While the Samsung weighs-in heavier with the dual-core, we're pretty fond of the higher clocked chip of the Flyer too, and let's not forget, Android isn't 100% ready for dual-core just yet, so we're happy to call this one a draw..for now.
Winner - Draw
Optics
Samsung's Galaxy Tab 10.1 features a 3.15-megapixel primary snapper which performs adequately, with an LED flash and auto-focus included to make your life easier and while it won't set the world alight it should be ample for casual use. The device does capture video at 720p though, which should allow all you amateur film makers to exercise your creative muscle! The Galaxy Tab 10.1 also packs a secondary 2-megapixel camera for video-calling.
HTC's Flyer comes with an altogether more impressive 5-megapixel shooter which also features autofocus but, brace yourself, no flash! So you're golden if you're outside or in good lighting but step inside after dark or on one of the UK's infamous grey days and you might just be done for!
Video capture functionality on the Flyer is the almost-standard 720p and the device also boasts a secondary 1.3-megapixel camera.
Winner - Draw
Form
Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 - 256.6 x 172.9 x 8.6 mm, 595 g
HTC Flyer - 195.4 x 122 x 13.2 mm, 420 g
HTC's plan to make the Flyer a super-portable tablet works. The device is small, light and comfortable to use but while you'll be stoked it isn't weighing you down while you're carrying it, you might not be as impressed when you crack it out to use. Sure, it feels balanced in the hand and is made of high-quality materials, but it just seems to exude a 'smartphone with gigantism' vibe. On the positive side it might make you feel like a kid again.
The Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 is a well constructed, nicely designed device which looks good, performs well and is eye-catching enough to stand next to the likes of the iPad 2 without blushing. It is a little on the heavy side for a tablet though but in the aesthetics category we give it an enthusiastic A+.
Winner - Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1
Software
Both the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 and the HTC Flyer run on Google's all-conquering Android platform and as such offer the user the ability to customise with widgets, download from the huge app catalogue that is the Android Market and browse with full flash support!
Tablet-only support is a little thin on the ground for Android at the moment though, so don't expect to enjoy the same sort of tablet-only support you'd get on Apple's gadget.
The notable difference between these two devices is the version of Android that they run. Strangely, HTC opted to install version 2.4 of Android on the Flyer, rather than the tablet-specific 3.0, which the Galaxy Tab 10.1 enjoys and as such certain nice features, like the new system and overhauled apps aren't present on the device. It does feature HTC's neat Sense UI but for once that isn't enough of a sweetener to clinch the deal, which means we're putting our tick firmly next to the Galaxy Tab 10.1 box in this round.
Winner - Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1
So it's a pretty decisive victory for the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1! The device builds nicely on the foundation laid by its predecessor the Galaxy Tab, making it a great device for Android enthusiast and newbie alike. Build quality is second to none and the feature list is jam packed too!
The HTC Flyer is something of a damp squib though and while we can't help but admire its good looks and pedigree it generally doesn't fit in with the smartphone market, or the tablet, a fact cemented by the baffling decision to run the device on a smartphone platform rather than tablet software.
If you're looking for a more portable tablet it will serve a purpose but other than that we can't think of a single reason why you'd want to choose the Flyer over one of its big-screened peers.
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